NDX2 or NDS/XPSDR?
Which sounds better if they are the same price (and the rest of the Naim system is the same)?
Have a read of this, Jim
IIRC, you use streaming services for your music so for present and future services the NDX2 would be a better bet.
I thought you had gone down the DCS Bridge route ?
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I went for NDS/XPSDR although didn’t compare.
The dealer did feel that the NDS was quite a bit ahead of the NDX2. Not altogether surprising when you look at the construction, DAC, no internal PSU etc.
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I would say if you use commercial streaming services then go for the NDX2 but if you only use local streaming from a NAS or UnitiCore/Unitiserve/HDX then go for the NDS.
Best
David
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What advantages are there at the moment if I play Tidal or Qobuz into an NDX2 vs an NDS?
The design of the NDS predates streaming services like Tidal and there are hardware limitations, despite Naim’s best efforts, which means that the NDS can cache only a few seconds of a track rather than the whole of a track which the new platform products can.
This may not be a problem for you. It depends on the performance of the internet between you and the Tidal server that serves you. This isn’t about your home broadband, but rather further back in the internet.
Naim doesn’t support Qobuz natively so you might want to use something like Chromecast to access that, which is built into the new platform products but not the NDS.
I think the general opinion is that the NDS has the edge on the NDX2, even with a power supply added. The NDS has to have a separate power supply anyway. But if you are going to be using commercial streaming services, including potentially ones that haven’t been launched yet, the NDX2 is likely to give a smoother experience and that may be more important than absolute SQ under perfect services.
Well this is my opinion anyway.
Best
David
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